18Jun 2017

TRADITIONAL COFFEE MANAGEMENT PRACTICES AND THEIR EFFECTS ON WOODY SPECIES STRUCTURE AND REGENERATION IN BALE ECO-REGION, ETHIOPIA.

  • MSc in Tropical Land Resource Management in School of Biodiversity and Natural Resources of Madda Walabu University, Bale Robe, Ethiopia.
  • Assistant Professor in Watershed Management, Madda Walabu University, Bale Robe, Ethiopia.
  • Assistant Professor in Agroforestry, Amboo University, Ethiopia.
  • PhD in Ecological and Systematic Zoology, Biodiversity Conservation Institute, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
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Traditional coffee management varies across location and may result in different effect on structure and regeneration of woody species. This study was aimed to investigate the effect of forest coffee management practices on structure and regeneration of woody species in Bale Eco-Region, Southeastern Ethiopia. Eighty (20 m x 20 m) quadrants and five 5m x5m subplots within each main plot were laid out along parallel transect lines across the forests for collecting data from mature, and saplings and seedlings woody species respectively. Data on traditional forest coffee management, structure and regeneration status of woody species were collected through in depth interview with fourteen key informants and field surveying respectively. All plant species found in each plot were identified, and their number, height and DBH were measured following standard procedures. The density, basal area and size of growth forms between the forests were compared using t-test at 0.05 significance level. Slashing of under growth vegetation, thinning shade trees, hoeing under forest coffee, and cutting of shrubs and saplings were the traditional coffee management practiced in the forest coffee to improve its productivity to earn more income. The density, basal area and regeneration status of woody species in forest coffee area significantly (P<0.000) differ from the natural forest. The density, DBH and Height of woody species in both forests have inverted J shape and were varied significantly between the forests. The natural forest has good regeneration status but the forest coffee experienced fair regeneration. However, few saplings (2.3%) and matured trees (5.7%) were recorded in coffee forest, which may lead to subsequent loss off the forest coffee if current situation will continue. Therefore, researches on development of sustainable forest coffee management methods, and enhancing technical and economic capacity of inhabitants through training and diffusion of technologies that compensate socioeconomic benefit obtained through damaging woody species are crucial to sustain the forest coffee ecosystem in Harena forest.


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[Dejene Nigatu, Lemma Tiki, Gonfa Kewessa and Demeke Datiko (2017); TRADITIONAL COFFEE MANAGEMENT PRACTICES AND THEIR EFFECTS ON WOODY SPECIES STRUCTURE AND REGENERATION IN BALE ECO-REGION, ETHIOPIA. Int. J. of Adv. Res. 5 (Jun). 591-598] (ISSN 2320-5407). www.journalijar.com


Dejene Nigatu Beyene
Lecturer

DOI:


Article DOI: 10.21474/IJAR01/4454      
DOI URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.21474/IJAR01/4454